Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral (1540 – 27 January 1596) was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the second circumnavigation of the world, from 1577 to 1580. He died of dysentery in January 1596 after unsuccessfully attacking San Juan, Puerto Rico.
His exploits were legendary, making him a hero to the English but a pirate to the Spaniards to whom he was known as El Draque. King Philip II was said to have offered a reward of 20,000 ducats, about £4 million (US$6.5M) by modern standards, for his life.
Read more about Francis Drake: Birth and Early Years, Marriage and Family, Sailing Career, Circumnavigation of The Earth, Political Career, Purchase of Buckland Abbey, Spanish Armada, Final Years, Cultural Impact
Famous quotes containing the words francis and/or drake:
“I hardly said a word to my wife until I said ‘yes’ to divorce.”
—John Milius, U.S. screenwriter, Francis Ford Coppola (b. 1939)
“Forever float that standard sheet!
Where breathes the foe but falls before us,
With Freedom’s soil beneath our feet,
And Freedom’s banner streaming o’er us!”
—Joseph Rodman Drake (1795–1820)